Her Letters from Prison
Part 1: Truth Stands Still Even as the
World Trembles and Burns
By: Heather D. Heaton
Copyright 2011 Heather D. Heaton
Smashwords Edition
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Table of Contents: Part 1
Chapter: Dear Reader - Prologue
Chapter: September 2007 - LOCKUP: Jefferson Cnty Jail
Chapter: October 2007 - Department of Corrections Holding Facility
Chapter: Dear Reader - Epilogue
Introduction:
The story you are about to read is true. Unfortunately, it’s my story; and the truth is often much more intriguing than fiction. I have had to deal with this story (this situation) for more than the past ten years. I started living out this story with all the hopes and dreams of most (if not all) young American girls; and I will finish this story by realizing most of those hopes and dreams, even though they have been interrupted for a time (in prison) that seems like time and time again. Through it all, I have managed to learn some life lessons that I hope to give to you; and I am hoping that you can pick up on these lessons earlier in life than I have done. I should have learned these lessons long ago. If I had learned these lessons long ago, I assure you that I would not have written the material you are now reading. My hope is that nobody else has to endure what I have endured learning life lessons that should be given to youngsters and adolescents early in life by the ones who truly love them. But here again, there are probably other youngsters and adolescents, much like me, who will have to learn these life lessons painfully for themselves, the hard way – by experiencing them first hand. Well, if you continue to read my story, here’s what you will experience – drugs, sex, violence, prison, utter devastation/humiliation, anger, hopelessness, despair, and finally happiness and hope!
If you don’t take me seriously and follow my path, you are going to experience false hope and disillusionment! You are going to experience broken trusts, by those whom you trusted most! You are going to experience pain and agony that brings you to the brink of self-destruction! You will lose your freedom! You will lose the right to think for yourself and to make your own decisions! You will lose your sense of self-worth and self-dignity! You are going to lose your ability to support yourself! You are going to lose your self-confidence! You are going to be victimized; and you can do little to avoid this! You will struggle and struggle and struggle just to get yourself back onto an even keel! But if you can ever manage to muster a tremendous mountain of stubbornness and determination, and if you can begin to think better of yourself, you will be able to recover most, but not all, of your ability to manage your own affairs while regaining some of your self-confidence and feeling of self-worth. I am just about to accomplish this in my life! Being just about able to accomplish this in my life is what has led me to (it has allowed me to) share my story with you. At first, I didn’t think I could ever share my story with anyone. But, I really don’t want you to actually share (live through) my experiences, even if you think you can handle it. Just read this story and do something positive in your own life.
Note: Names have been changed to protect each individual's privacy.
Dedication:
This work is dedicated to Valrise Bendolf (Clay County Dept. of Corrections Holding Facility), Jackie Ratliff (Kilby – Montgomery Womens’ Facility), Fawn Romie/Mr. Roberts/Gary Parsons (Life Tech) and all of Mr. Robert’s little roses that he so diligently cultivated. For all their good works, these people saved my life!
Chapter: Dear Reader - Prologue
Dear Reader:
I have broken my story into two parts in order to accommodate current limitations (maximum file size) present in the ebook publishing process. As presented in this work, my letters are real. The letters are images of the original documents, as written on available writting materials and under the most stressful conditions. Also, the Christmas cards, birthday cards, and greeting cards (original works of art direct from the hands of those who made them) are real. As such, the inclusion of these images of the original documents required too much computer storage space to publish my story as a single document; and I sincerely apologize for that situation. I certainly hope that this unfortunate situation does not seem to be such an imposition that you forego enjoying and benefiting from both the first and the second half of my story.
On the contrary, providing you access to my story in two parts has allowed me to, first of all, overcoome the immediate limits of the ebook publishing process, and secondly, to let you enjoy the first part as a preview of the rest of my story. If you enjoy the first part, you will certainly enjoy the second part in which I reap the rewards of my determined hard work to better myself. Actually, I enjoyed the second part more than the first, as well I expect you will enjoy the second part even more than the first part.
As defined in the following timeline of events, Part 1 of my story presents the "hard core" prison environment and what it took to survive (or what it took out of me). Part 2 of my story presents the realization that although survival is the "necessary" part of the story; it is not the part of the story that was "sufficient" to make me a better person. The determination, self-confidence, and perserverance, that could emerge only from hard work, were the ingredients sufficient for me to better my life. And these positive personal traits will be with me for the rest of my life.
Timeline of Events:
Her Letters from Prison - Part 1
September 7, 2007 – LOCKUP: Jefferson Cnty Jail, Birmingham, AL
October 18, 2007 – Department of Corrections Holding Facility
Her Letters from Prison - Part 2
March 21, 2008 – Tutwiller Prison for Women
June 2, 2008 –Kilby Women’s Prison (Medium 4 Camp)
November 13, 2008 – Parole
November 27, 2008 – Life Tech came and took me from prison.
August 13, 2009 – Released from Life Tech & Prison
Thank you for your own courage and perserverance as you consider my story and decide how it might benefit you in your life, or in the life of someone else who you value dearly.
Sincerely,
Breanna
Chapter: September 2007 - LOCKUP: Jefferson Cnty Jail
September 24, 2007
Dear Breanna,
I apologize for not writing sooner, but I was not certain that I ever wanted to have anything to do with you at all. You must know that your current situation (predicament) has caught me completely off guard. In fact, it has been quite a few months since we have even spoken to one another. I didn't even know what had happened to you. I would have appreciated more consideration from you - regardless of how it was communicated to me. I don't want to be rude, but I hope you can understand why it took me so long to respond to your letters. I understand that things must be difficult for you; but ten years? What could you have possibly done to get ten years? No wonder I haven't heard from you in a while.
I'm sorry about being short with you, but I have been very mad at you. At the very least I have been very disappointed in your behavior. I guess I figured that you had just run off, vaporized, or abandoned me, for good. I felt like I had really been taken advantage of. I felt like a real fool - a real sucker! To tell the truth, I had decided to just let sleeping dogs lay down and die - never to get up again.